Jerrod Niemann Takes Aim at a Good Time on High Noon

Jerrod Niemann‘s High Noon, the follow-up to his 2012 release Free the Music, makes its debut Tuesday (March 25). Ahead of the album’s launch, CMT Hot 20 Countdown
‘s Katie Cook caught up with the singer on the beaches of Riviera Maya, Mexico, where the ultimate spring break party was getting started.

“So here we are at the beach,” Cook began. “You’ve got a ton of fans here at the Hard Rock hanging out. There’s so much enthusiasm around the release of High Noon. That’s gotta make you feel great.”

“It does,” replied Niemann. “I go in the studio and I probably should try to think of hit songs and selling records, but I really do go in the studio and just try to make music that means a lot to me. And hopefully it means something to somebody else.”

“I know you love to experiment in the studio with different vibes and different sounds for your fans,” said Cook. “What vibe were you going for on High Noon?”

“I think just the fun vibe,” Niemann said. “Because you get in the studio and you can have the same musicians play this day, and then they play the next day, and the song can be completely different. So it’s all about being comfortable and everybody coming together and having a good time. I think you can actually capture that, so we tried to capture a good time on this album.”

While having a good time is definitely a common thread throughout the album — starting with its lead single “Drink to That All Night”
— Niemann made sure it features more meaningful subject matter as well.

“You know, I think it does,” Niemann said. “I think there’s a lot of things that could refill your soul … and for me, anytime I can go visit my parents in Fort Worth, Texas. That’s kind of what the song is about — just going home. And I’ve learned no matter how good things are, how bad things are, you always have home to go to, and that’s just such an important thing to have. When you feel that way about something, there’s always a song in there somewhere.”

For more on Niemann’s new album, tune in to CMT Hot 20 Countdown Saturday and Sunday (March 29-30) at 11 a.m. ET/PT.